Cash-strapped Argentine town holds raffle to see who will be paid

A raffle will determine which civil servants in a small Argentine town will
receive their pay first, due to insufficient funds, its mayor has announced.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has seen growth slow by 0.5pc in May compared with the same period last yearPhoto: Reuters

6:58PM BST 23 Jul 2012

"We will draw lots to decide the [order] of payment," said mayor of Bialet Masse, Gustavo Pueyo, in a broadcast from Buenos Aires private radio station Radio Mitre.

Pueyo said the raffle was approved by national mayoral authorities and the first draw took place on Friday, with 23 of the town's 92 employees receiving their pay. A second raffle is slated for Monday, AFP reported.